Paddy Chew

Did You Know?

• Chew attended St. Stephen's School and St. Patrick's School before becoming a flight steward.
• He worked for Singapore Airlines for thirteen years, then joined the Boom Boom Room, Singapore's first drag cabaret.

Early decline

Chew had no awareness of AIDS or HIV during the first half of his flight attendant career and never used condoms. Hospital staff failed to recognise his oral thrush until he diagnosed it himself. Doctors were reluctant to administer an HIV test, which Chew requested. Following diagnosis, he felt relief and travelled to Brussels for treatment unavailable in Singapore. By 1996 he had lost 45% of his weight and his health was failing. Unable to function and fearing scandal at his workplace, he left the Boom Boom Room.

Publicity

Chew became a public figure overnight, giving numerous interviews and attracting attention wherever he went. His image and statements on AIDS in Singapore appeared in local and foreign publications. A columnist in Lianhe Zaobao criticised him as a promiscuous bisexual, while others viewed him as seeking publicity. Chew responded that he did not want fame for having AIDS, but had seen too many AIDS patients die alone and wanted to clear the path for future patients so they would not die that way.

Completely With/Out Character

In 1998 Chew began work on a one-man autobiographical play, Completely With/Out Character, his first theatrical effort. The final version was produced by The Necessary Stage, written by Haresh Sharma, directed by Alvin Tan, and staged at The Drama Centre from 10 to 17 May 1999. At each performance's end, Chew stripped to his shorts and raised his arms so the audience could see his emaciated frame, followed by a question-and-answer session. All proceeds went to Action for AIDS (AfA), where he was an outspoken volunteer. Poet and playwright Alfian Sa'at, reviewing the play in The Straits Times, called it "the most extreme form of docu-theatre" and noted that the audience witnessed a play aware of its ephemeral existence. Chew spoke of writing a book and taking a last holiday in Europe, but these wishes were not fulfilled. His health worsened, requiring admission to the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) in Moulmein Road in June 1999, two months before his death. At the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2015, artist Zihan Loo presented With/Out, a performance installation based on Chew's monologue, which included the first public screening of taped performances from three evenings of the original play.

Funeral

At Mount Vernon Crematorium's Hall Two, dance music played as about 80 mourners arrived in red, blue, pink, and orange. Because Singapore law requires people with AIDS to be buried or cremated within 24 hours of death, the funeral took place that same afternoon. Chew's sister Jessie, 37, gave a short eulogy, saying her brother wanted everyone to come, preferably in red, and party with him. She noted he stayed full of spirit and fought until the end. Two older siblings, Shirley, 53, and Edwin, 52, attended; another sister, Joanne, 41, lived overseas. Additional eulogies came from Alan Koh, managing director of Boom Boom Room, and old friend Audrey Fegen. Roman Catholic priest Augustine led the service, which lasted under half an hour. Calvin Tan, a friend since Primary 1, recalled that Chew was in critical condition at 8 p.m. on Friday but fought until 6 a.m. that morning, refusing to give up. Action for AIDS president Assoc. Prof. Roy Chan, who knew Chew since his 1995 AIDS diagnosis and worked with him on awareness projects, described him as outspoken, gutsy, selfless, and courageous, adding that he acted not for himself but for society.